Barber&#39;s chair headrest



y 1950 M. s. GREY 2,514,757

BARBERS CHAIR HEADREST Filed June 4, 1946 3 Sheets$heet 1 49 I 5 6 V I I qy July 11, 1950 M. s. GREY 2,514,757

BARBERS CHAIR HEADREST Filed June 4, 1946 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 11, 1950 Filed June 4, 1946 M. 's. GREY BARBER'S CHAIR HEADREST 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 de ficiericiesi Patented July 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE t 2,514,757" j p i B'ARBERS' HEADREST Mae Spahrv G ey, San Francisco, Gal if. Application J ne 4, 1 946aSeri-al1Nm-J($7 2,291?

This invention relatest'ohead; tests for reclining chairs such as barber chairs or the like.

It is customary to provide the usual reclining b'arb'er chair with a removable head rest The head rest isinserted in a holder on the upper back or the chair when. acustomer is to be shavediand serves" .to support the" customers 6 Claims. (01. 155-176),

head whe'ri' the: chair and occupant are in" re clining. position'.' As a sanitary measure, the head rest iSwpIOVi'dGd with" a paper covering upon which the custorifers' head rests; the paper ema mating from a roll, and, intended to be drawn out and: torn ofi after eachuse to provide a fresh covering for each cust'omers use.v

Barbers have found that in: the rush attending; an unusual infiuxi'of customers, the advanc ing? of the paper strip after each customer is sometimes forgotten. This: is contrary to health regulations in: nian ycommunities, and may lead to the spread otiski n infections, or other iniec tious or commercial diseases.

Other defects noted in present devices or this character are thelac-lr of angular adjustability oi the head rest, the frequentbreaking of the supporting post's due to repeated insertion and 5 removal ortne head rest; and the difliculty encountereeliii putting .a, the head rest; y

The general object of the present invention is totprovide' a head restawhich will overcome these new roll: of paper in A more' spe'cifieobj'ect of the invention is to firovide a'- devicetof this character which will automaticallyadvance the paper strip after a customer has: rested his head upon the device and the chair is then returned to its upright position.

Another object is to provide such automatic feed yth'e operation of which may not be initiated while the chair remains in an upright position.

It is further contemplatedto provide a: head .rest inWhicth the insertion of afresh roll of paper is facilitated, land the need for a roll supporting rod: or spindle is dispensed with.

It is also contemplated to provide such'a device which isadjustable, whereby the angular relationshipefi thekhead rest with respect to the chair may be varied; i I v A still further obiect of the invention is the provision: of a head rest which ismore readily attachable to; andhdetachable from, the chair back. t

r Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with; the drawings which accompany and form a part, ofthis specification.

, n 2' In the'drawings: I Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section. through ai -barber chair head rest incorporating the-principles of the present invention, the View beingtaken substantially onthe line of Figure 2 Figure 2 is alongitudinal vertical section taken onthe line 2-2 of Figure 1; v

Figure" 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; m a 1 Figure t is a fragmentary section taken on" the line 4-4 of Figure 2-, showing the paper-feeding gear mechanism; 1 Figure-5- is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5- -5ot Figure 2;

Figure: 6 is a view similar to Figure 1; but with the head rest tilted as when the chair is inv reclining; position j Figure-*7 is a sectional view taken on substantiaily the: same line as: Figure i-,-wi-th the head rest in tilted position, and the mechanism. in the positionsassufnedwhen a customers head has restd upon the cushion surface;

Figure 8 isa view of the trigger mechanism when in closed position; v

Figures is a vi'ew'ofthe trigger mechanism and papeafeeum ge'a'fing' showing the movement of the parts'when the Head rest is tilted upwardly taken n Figurefla is" a section. taken on line |3-!'3 of Figure ZiIlustrating the angle adjusting mech an'ism; arid,

H Figure 14 is a section onthe line Melt of Figure l.

Referring to the. drawings in detail, the invention comprises a head rest I' of generally con-- ventionalshape and appearance, and having the usual toothed supporting posts 2 for adjustable insertion into: the conventional holder (not shown) afiixed to the back of .a barber chair. As is usual, a; padded cushion 3 covers the upper surface. oi the head rest and a strip of paper 1 extending from a roll 5 covers the cushion and passes b'etweenfeedrollers- 6 and a pressure roller L, f a

Automatic means are provided to rotate feed rollers 5 when the chair carrying thehead rest assumes an; uprightposition after havingbeen housing structure, with the exception of the back The two castings are pivotally connected'at their lower ends by means of a pivot rod I3, extending; the width of the head rest, and held in position wall 8, are supported upon the end walls.

hold the rack bar in continuous mesh with the gear 2|. Segmental gear 22 is mounted with gear 2| but meshes with gear 23 on the opposite side of shaft 26 necessitating the provision of a slot 29 to receive shaft 26. Slot 29 not only permits oscillation of segmental gear 22, but, by limiting the movement of the gear also serves to prevent accidental unmeshing of the segmental gear 22 or rack bar during assembly or disassembly of the head rest. i

The above-described mechanism will feed the paper strip whenever pressure is exerted upon the cushion 3 and then removed. However, au-

jz'tomatic latch mechanism is provided to prevent the rocking of casting 9 when the head rest is in r a vertical position, but to permit it when the by cap screws l4 at either end. .Back plate:8 is of such width that it fits between the end walls II and I2. The two castings are normally urged apart by coiled Springs l5 interposed between the plates 8 and II) at a distance fromthe pivot near the upper edges of the plates, and held in position by seating upon bosses projecting from the two plates. v This construction permits the casting 9 and its associated parts of the housing to be yieldingly rocked abo'ut the pivot |3 when the weight of the customers head rests upon the cushion 3, thus causing plate In to approach the back plate 8.

The rocking of casting 9 is limited in both its inward and outward movement by studs l5 which project inwardly from the end walls II and I2, and engage the ends of T-slots H in the lugs l8, formed at the end'o'f back plate 8 and projecting interiorly of the head rest. The slots are of T-formation to facilitate assembly.

The rocking movement of the casting 9 serves through appropriate'g'earing, to be described, to rotate the paper feed rollers 8 to' advance the paper strip.

Pivotally attached, as at l9, to the back plate 8 at one upper corner thereon is a rack bar 20 which extends inwardly to mesh with a gear 2| carried by the end wall I 2. As casting 9 rocks carrying gear 2| with it, the gear is rotated by traveling along the rack 20. Fixed to gear 2| to rotate with it is a segmental gear22 meshing with a wide gear 23, which gear 23 also engages gear 24 of a unitary gear and ratchet, the ratchet being indicated by 25. 1

The unitary gear and ratchet is loosely mounted-upon shaft 26 which is journaled in, the end walls and carries the paper feed rollers li. The feed-roller may be a continuous one extending the length of the head rest, but it is shown as a plurality of spaced rollers fixed to theshaft, to rotate therewith. To one 'ofthe rollers, theone on the left as viewed in Figure 2, a pawl 2'! is pivoted, the pawl cooperating with the=ratch 25 to rotate the roller 9 in one direction, but permitting' the ratchet to run freely in the opposite direction without imparting rotation to rollers 6. Pawl 21 is constantly urged toward ratchet 25'by a leaf spring 28." The gearing and ratchet and pawl mechanisms are so arranged that the overrunning action of the ratchet will take place as the casting 9 is rocked toward the" back plate '8, and'as the reverse movement takes place under the influence of springs l5 thepaper feedrollers will operate to advance the paper.

The arrangement of the gearing is such that gears 2| and 23 are on opposite sides of the shaft 26. As is clearly shown in Figure '7, this arrangement permits the use of shaft 26 as a bearing surface for the back of rack bar 20 to head rest is in reclining position, and trigger mechanism serving to hold the casting 9 in operative position after having been rocked and released only when the head rest is again brought to vertical position.

The trigger mechanism comprises a trigger member in the form of a bell-crank lever 30 pivoted at 3|, to a lug 32 projecting from the back plate 8; one arm of the lever being provided along one edge with teeth 33 to be engaged by a dog 34 pivotally mounted upon a bracket 35 fixed .to the central plate ||l of casting 9. Dog 34 has its end turned at right angles to its body portion, the offset end passing through an arcuate slot 36 in the bracket 35. A spring 3'! normally urges the dog 34 downwardly toward tooth-engaging position, the downward movement of the dog being limited by striking the end of slot 36.

Trigger lever 30 is movable about its pivot 3| to bring it to and away from dog-engaging position. In other words, the lever may be rocked so that its toothed surface will engage and lift the dog 34, or it may be rocked out of engagement with the dog so that the dog comes to rest against the end of slot 36 and the dog and lever are entirely separated. When the lever is in dog-engaging position and pressure is applied upon the cushion 3, casting 9 will rock about its pivot and dog 34 will ride over the ratchet teeth 33 of the lever, coming to rest in engagement with one of the teeth when casting 9 reaches the limit of its inward movement, holding the casting in rocked position.

Trigger 30 is tripped to release casting 9 by means of a gravity-operated, pivoted weight 38. Weight 38 is fixed to pivot pin 39 which is journaled in lugs 40 extending from back plate 8. Pivot pin 39 also has fixedly secured to it a cam 4| which underlies a flange 42 turned over from the actuating arm of the lever 30. Secured to weight 38 and overlying flange 42 is a trip rod 43. From the showing in Figures '1, 5, 6, 8, and 9, the operation of the trip will readily be seen. When the head rest is tilted to reclining position, the center of gravity of weight 38 passes over the pivot point 39 and weight 38 swings to the right, as seen in these figures, and cam 4| will rotate, striking flange 42 of lever 30 and causing the lever teeth to engage dog 34. When the head rest is raised the weightpivots back to the left, causing the cam to move from engagementwith flange 42, and'trip rod 43 carried by the weight will strike the opposite face of the flange, rocking the lever 39 and disengaging the teeth from the dog.

To prevent the rocking of casting 9 to set the trigger mechanism when the head rest is in upright position, a latch lever 44 is loosely mounted on pivot 39 and attached to weight 38 by ammo-v means of a pin and slot connection 45. Lever 44 engages a notched stud 4B projecting from plate I when the head rest is upright, preventing the casting .9 from being rocked on its pivot as shown in Figures 1 and 5. As' the head rest is tilted to the position shown in Figure 6, the weight 38 swing on its pivot and carries latch lever M with it, freeing the casting 9 so that it may move, The pin and slot connection between the latch lever and Weight provides lost motion between the two so that the weight will deliver an impact blow to the latch lever to ensure its release from the notch in. stud 46 in the event a customers head is resting against cushion 3 when the chair is tilted, and to permit the latch lever 'to'have a greater range of travel than the weight. I

To facilitate the insertion of a fresh roll of paper, a paper container 41 extends substantially the full length of the lower portion of the head rest. The paper container is arcuate in crosssection, providin an opening 41' extending the full length of the container. The. container is pivoted to the pivot pin l3 and urged toward closed position with the opening 41', inside the head rest housing. by means of a spring 48 which encircles pivot pin l3 and has one end bearing against back plate 8 and the other end against the paper container. The inward movement of the container is limited by striking flanges 49 projecting inwardly from the side edges of the black plate 8. A metal sheet 58 extends from center plate l0 of casting 9, and has its outer end curved. downwardly in overlappin relation to the edge of paper container 41. The position oi rest of the paper container is such that the overlapping edges of the paper container and curved end. of sheet are spaced apart sufficiently to permit the free passage of the paper strip therebetween.

Back plate 8 is provided with a pair of spaced ears 5|, between which is pivoted one member 52 of a coupling 53;, the coupling being for the purpose of removably connecting the head rest proper to the supporting posts 2. Coupling mornher 52 is provided with a recess 54 to receive tongue 55 extending from a bridge-piece 56 which is secured to the upper ends of supporting posts 2 and holds the supporting posts in proper spaced relation.

Tongue 55' is provided with a slot 51 extending' from the upper edge of the tongue downwardly. One side face of the tongue is countersunk as at 58, the bore being concentric with,

the bottom of the slot and of a diameter greater than the width of slot 5 1, and to a depth of approximately half the thickness of the tongue. Slot 5? is adapted to slidably embrace a looking pin- 59 carried by the coupling member 52 and disposed across the recess 54. One end of pin 59 is enlarged, as at 60, to seat in the countersunk bore 58 to lock the tongue within the recess when the pin is moved to the right, as shown in Figure l. Coupling member 52 has an enlarged bore St to receive an enlarged head 62 on the opposite end of pin 59. A spring 63 head rest may be removed from the chair by separation from the osts at the coupling 53. The supporting posts thereby become a means for vertical adjustment for the head rest the usual manner but remain in the usual head rest holder and need not be removed therefrom.

Cou ling member 52 carries a quadrant to which extends through slot 65 in back plate 8 to the interior of the head rest. The quadrant is provided with a plurality of holes 66, the holes being arranged in an are having the pivotal con necticn or between the couplin member 52 and ears 5i as its center. Holes 66 are arranged "to be selectively engaged by a locking rod 68' slid ably mounted on the interior of the head rest a in bearings 69 carried by the back late 8. Rod '53 is provided with an enlargement m midway betweenits ends, and a coiled spring H is placed around the rod to bear against the enlargement .18 and one of the bearings 59 to normally urge the rod into engagement with one of the holes 66 in the quadrant st. A bell crank lever 12 is pivoted to a lug l3 projecting'from the back plate 8' and has the outer end of one arm in engagement with the enlargement 10 on the rod 69 on the opposite side from spring 11-. The other arm of the bell crank is pivotally connected to an operating finger piece 14. Finger piece 14- passes through an opening '55 in back plate a to the outside of the head rest. Pressure upon the finger piece rocks the bell crank, moving the locking pin against the pressure oi' spring H to disengage the hole in the quadrant,

In operation, the supporting posts 2 are attached to the usual holder on the back of a barber chair, and the head rest roper is attached to the posts by means of the coupling 53. The head rest is then adjusted to the desired angle by depressing the finger piece 14 to withdraw the pin 68 from the hole 66 with which it is engaged, and the head rest is rocked about the pivot 8''! to the desired angle, whereupon the finger piece is released and the locking rod 68 moves into the hole 66 with which it is in alignment. The paper container 41- is rocked about the pivot rod [3 to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, with the opening 41' exterior of the housing, and a roll of paper is dropped into the container and the container released, whereupon the spring 48 will return it to its normal position. The end of the paper" strip is then brought across the face of the cushion 3 and inserted in the slot at the top of the head rest and between the paper feed rollers 6 and the pressure roller 1. By rotating nob 16, fixed to the end of paper feed roller shaft 26, the paper can be advanced any desired amount. The paper pressure roller 1 has its trunnions fitted into slots in the end walls H and 12 and the casing is provided with a pair of leaf springs 11' to engage the trunnions and hold them in the slot. The force which the pressure roll exerts upon the paper may be adjusted by tightening or loosening screws 18 of the housing to regulate the pressure of springs ll upon the trunnionst With the chair in upright position, the head rest will appear as in Figure 1 The weight 38 is swung forwardly of the pivot and the latch lever 44 is in engagement with the notched stud 46, looking the paper-advancing mechanism in inoperative position.

When a customer is to be shaved, the chair is tilted backward to reclining position and the head rest assumes the angular position shown in Figure 6. As the center of gravity of the weight 38 passes to the opposite side of its pivot 39, the weight swings in a clockwise direction as shown in Figure 6, and the pin 45, striking the end of the slot in latch lever 44, causes lever 44 to move from engagement with the notched stud 46 to release the paper actuating mechanism for operation. When the customers head rests upon the cushion 3, casting 9 is caused to rotate about pivot rod l3, moving plate In toward back plate 8. The swinging of weight 38 causes cam 4| to rotate, rocking trigger lever 30, to bring teeth 33 into operative engagement with dog 34. As plate In approaches plate 8, dog 34 rides over teeth 33, coming to rest in one of the teeth when the movement of plate It ceases. This position of the trigger mechanism is shown in Figure 8. During the pivotal movement of casting 9, gear 2| is caused to rotate by moving along rack bar 20, and the rotation of gear 2| is transmitted to segmental gear ZZ-and gears 23 and 24. Due to the overrunning action of the ratchet and pawl mechanism 252l, no motion is imparted to the paper feed roller shaft or rollers. This position of the paper feeding gear train is shown in Figure '7.

As long as the head rest remains in reclining position, the parts will remain in the position shown in Figures 7 and 8, due to the locking engagement between teeth 33 on the trigger lever and the dog 34, even though the customer may lift his head or turn it from side to side.

When the chair is returned to upright position, the center of gravity of weight 38 passes to the opposite side of pivot 39 and the weight swings in a counterclockwise direction, causing trip-rod 43 to strike flange 42 of trigger lever 30, rocking the lever to move the teeth 33 from engagement with the dog 34. This releases casting 9 from back plate 8, and the springs l which were compressed by the inward movement of plate In expand, returning plate Ill to its original position. During this outward movement, gear 2! rides back over rack 2i], which imparts a reverse rotation to the gear and through gear 2| to segmental gear 22 and gears 23 and 24.

2'! is in engagement with ratchet 25 and the rotational movement is'imparted to the feed roller 6, causing the paper strip to advance. As the return movement is quite sudden, the paper feed rollers 6 are set into rotation with considerable force and will continue to rotate, through the overrunning of the ratchet and pawl mechanism, after the gears have ceased to rotate.

The amount of overrunning may be controlled by adjusting the pressure with which pressure roller I bears upon the paper sheet. The springs TI act as friction brakes on the trunnions of the roller 1 and the greater pressure applied, the more brakingaction obtained.

While I have in the above described what I believe to be a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the specific embodiment shown and described is simply by way of illustration, and the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a reclining chair headrest of that type having an automatic feed for a paper covering emanating from a roll within the housing wherein the headrest is formed of a two-part housing with the sections of the housing being pivoted together' for relative movement, and in which the paper is advanced by feed rollers operable upon relative movement between the sections ofthe housing, in combination with said feed rollers and said two-part housing: a gear train to rotate one of said feed rollers comprising, a rack carried by one part of said housing, said feed roller being mounted upon a shaft carried by the other part of said housing and a gear-mounted on said shaft, a gear mounted on said other part of said housing at one side of said roller shaft and in mesh with said rack, said rack extending between said rack gear and said. roller shaft, a wide gear mounted on said other part of said housing at the other side of said roller shaft and in mesh with said roller shaft gear, and a sector gear mounted for rotation with said rack gear and in mesh with said wide gear and having an arcuate slot to receive the said roller shaft, whereby relative movement of said housing parts will impart rotation to said roller shaft and said roller shaft may serve as a backing for said rack to hold said rack in mesh with said rack ear.

2. In a device as claimed in claim 1, the slot in said sector gear being of such length thatthe roller shaft will abut the end of said slot to prevent said rack from running off of said rack gear.

3. In a device as claimed in claim 1, the slot in said sector gear being of. such length that the roller shaft will abut theend of said slot to prevent said rack from running off of said rack gear, and an overrunning mechanism between said roller shaft gear and said shaft.

4. A head rest for a reclining chair comprising, a two-section housing, one of said sections adapted to be attached to said chair and the other section being pivotally supported upon the first said section, a paper container, paper feed rollers, one of said rollers being mounted upon a shaft carried by one section of said housing and a gear mounted on said shaft, a rack carried by the other section of said housing, a rack gear carried by said one section of said housing at one side of the axis of said roller shaft, said rack extending between said shaft and said rack gear, a wide gear carried by said one section of said housing in mesh with said roller shaft gear, and a sector gear mounted for rotation with said rack gear and in mesh with said wide gear and having an arcuate slot to receive said roller shaft,'whereby relative movement of said housing sections will impart rotation to said roller shaft and said roller shaft may serve as a backing for said rack to hold said rack in mesh with said rack gear.

5. In a reclining chair headrest of that type having a two-section housing wherein relative movement between the sections of the housing cause the automatic advancement of a paper covering emanating from a roll within the housing, in combination with latch mechanism comprising, a trigger in the form of a bell-crank pivotally carried by one section of the housing and having ratchet teeth on one side of one arm and a flange at one side of the other arm, a spring actuated dog carried by the other section of said housing for engagement with the ratchet teeth on said trigger and havinga stop to limit its movement in a tooth-engaging direction, and a pivotally mounted, weighted, gravity-operated lever having a cam to engage one side of the flange on said trigger and a knob to engage the other side of said flange, whereby the trigger may be moved and held in dog-engaging and dog-disengaging positions as the headrest is tilted.

6. In a device as claimed in claim 5, a second latch pivotally carried by said weighted lever to bear against a portion of said housing to prevent the housing sections from moving toward one another, said latch also having a, pin and slot connection with said Weighted lever to permit said N b leverlimited free movement before moving the 3 5 latch to release position. i w 1 217 652 1,860,058 REFERENCES CITED I 1,957,608 The following references are of record in the 2,045,225

file of this patent:

10 UNITED STATES PATENTQ Name Date Patnode Apr. 27, 1909 Spahr Feb. 27, 1917 Spahr Aug. 21, 1923 Schwarzkopf May 24, 1932 McCann May 8, 1934 Glasgow June 23, 1936 

